M I R R O R B A L L

i'll show you every version of yourself tonight .

[lcdyliberty]

⸻　　heavenly choir ,  party’s in full swing ⸻　　closed  for @antdesilvs

　　୨ৎ　　“ next up , libby and tilly ! ”  the man currently running karaoke ( assigned or self appointed, the jury was still out . . . ) spoke into one of the microphones. considering it was at the peak of the party, it had been a few songs since tilly had put their names down. being the host of the party, it hadn’t been alarming that the taller woman had vanished from liberty’s side when she had looked away. social obligations. she totally got that !

besides, they had a perfect meeting place.

that’s why she had made her way to the stage in the first place. mistake ! mistake ! time machine, please ! halfway through her explanation of ‘ i’m libby, we’re just waiting for tilly ’, the microphone he had been using to announce had been shoved into her hands. then her towards the middle of the stage. “ oh, okay. from here ? ” directed at the man, then a scan of the crowd. the microphone raised to her lips, like the mall doing a lost child psa. “ we’re just looking for tilly and then we can — ” get started. that’s what she had meant to finish with, but instead it had been cut off by the iconic opening of shania twain. man, i feel like a woman. tilly’s pick !

surely, tilly was currently hurrying from the drinks table. liberty just had to play it cool for a few seconds. “let’s go, tils.” a play on the lyrics. clever, cool. except she didn’t magically manifest out of thin air after the summon. by the time the karaoke machine illuminated her next line, “ c’mon ” was more like a desperate plea. definitely longer and whinier than the original. artistic choices, perhaps ? actual lyrics had made their way onto the screen and tilly was still nowhere to be found. logic would have dictated the best course of action would be to focus on the screen and get the words right, at least. liberty overestimated how much of the verse she had memorised. it was a lot of stumbling over words or mumbling. when it came to let it all hang out - that mumble was intentional ! still, her eyes were fixed on the crowd. desperately scanning for a lifeline. tilly, she had started off at. anyone, she had settled on.

[lcdyliberty]

⸻　　upstairs on a couch near karaoke ,  mid party ⸻　　closed  for @silcntfigvre

　　୨ৎ　　if liberty had been in charge of decorating, the karaoke machine would have been tucked away in some far corner .  charitable ! spare people some hangxiety the next morning, then also spare the ears of those closer to sober. apparently, not everyone had the same ugly insecurity lingering in their chest as it did in libby’s. they liked the attention. if the makeshift stage were a tad more portable, they probably would have moved to the middle of the room once emboldened by liquor.

seeing as it was such a crowd favourite for some, her opinion on karaoke had changed throughout the night. she had agreed to sing with those like blythe and tilly — bright stars that would command the attention of the room. where liberty would only be noticed once they had taken their bows, but it was better than never being noticed at all.

during one of her many, many laps around the party to find as many people as she could, spotting nic upstairs was a comfort. while trying to mend damaged relationships ( it wasn’t working ) with the general public would be useful, it was nice to have a moment to breathe. it would have been mutually beneficial for liberty to take that. instead, “ get a load of this guy. ” admittedly, not the best rendition of pokerface that you’ve ever heard. “ keep it up and he’s gonna make the circuit board cry — and not in the ‘ taylor swift, folklore ’ kinda way. ” did nic strike her as the taylor swift type ? not really. “ which is the good way to make something cry. ” and did karaoke machines have circuit boards ? she wouldn’t know ! the fact she tried to play it off with a light round of laughter probably only making things worse.

“ and, you know, you shouldn’t do that at all because machines don’t really . . . like . . . water. ” the laughter had died down, but the smile lingered on glossed lips. “ you know that. ” a captain going down with the ship. “ i mean, hi. how is your night so far ? ”

[cyclonesfm]

what: open starter ! when: early in the night where: hell's kitchen

mackenzie has never felt exactly at ease when it came to parties, especially not now considering... well, everything. he likes to have a good time as much as the next guy, but he much prefers a group hangout in his apartment to a rager. he likes to be able to have his eyes on everyone, make sure that things are going smoothly, be able to jump in immediately if someone needed his assistance. there's probably something to be said about his need for control and how it feels like any semblance of it is slipping through his fingers, but that's a thought better left for later. or preferably, forgotten entirely.

"you want me to mix you something?" he asks to the person next to him, already halfway through making his own drink (light on the alcohol tonight, just enough to dull his still-aching ankle, thanks tag!), "seems like tilly went all out."

[lcdyliberty]

　　୨ৎ　　first impressions were everything .  well, you probably couldn’t call anything in wrensted a first impression. first impression of this party in particular, to be specific. putting your best foot forward at every turn. that was possible. costumes were incredibly important part of that ! perhaps the most important. upon arrival, it was clear that some didn’t share the sentiment. outfits that had been thrown together at the last second littered the crowd. obvious that they’d hadn’t spent hours brainstorming, trying things on only to hate them, overthinking. while it might have angered someone like tilly martin, all libby could feel was envious. a curiosity of what that security might feel like.

after all, she had started off as a generic angel. cute, but not memorable. ( story of her life ! ) then a generic devil in red. with everything going, it seemed like something that would only land her in hot water. the rhinestone ‘ BAD ’ top elizabeth hurley had worn in bedazzled. her room reeked of glue for a few days after making it, but spelling it out on her chest seemed worse than just wearing a little red. what if someone asked her to explain ? were movie references cool ?

ultimately, after a lot of googling, she had landed on a safe option. or what she thought other people would consider safe. victoria’s secret angel. of course, it meant the night was full of awkward tugging on her pink robe. that was where her attention had been focused when she heard mackenzie’s voice through the music. she glanced up, making sure the offer had been intended for her before she spoke. “ that’s really sweet. what are you drinking ? ” not that accepting the offer meant she had to have same. “ do you know how to make anything kind of fruity ? ”

[sundrifts]

the  word  karaoke  does  something  to  her  posture  immediately  -  spine  lengthening,  chin  tipping  up,  shoulders  rolling  back  like  she's  already  found  her  mark  under  imaginary  stage  lights.  a  grin  spreads  slow  and  wide  across  her  face  and  she  flips  her  hair  back  over  one  shoulder  with  a  flourish  way  too  dramatic, but ultimately, very blythe-coded.  “ duh,  obviously ! ”  she  says,  as  if  she's  scandalised  that  it  was  even  a  question  -  like  the  very  idea  of  doubting  her  devotion  to  karaoke  was  somehow  wounding.  “ i've  been  practising  all  day.  all  day,  liberty.  my  agnetha  fältskog  impersonation  is  devastating.  genuinely,  it  should  be  illegal. ” 

her  gaze  slides  back  to  the  other as she turns the question around:  “ what  about  you ? ”  she  asks,  “ what  are  you  gonna  sing ?  because  -  okay,  hear  me  out.  we  could  sooooo  pull  off  chiquitita  together,  you  and  me. ”  blythe  taps  two  fingers  against  her  own  temples,  punctuating  the  offer  like  it's  a  contract  waiting  to  be  signed.  “ the  universe  is  telling  me  that  it's  fate. ”

[lcdyliberty]

　　୨ৎ　　the change in blythe’s posture didn’t go unnoticed .  considering how much of her social interaction happened within liberty’s head, she had to be tuned into those kind of things. deciphering it, however, was the harder part. perhaps she was straightening up in the same way a snake did. making herself taller before striking liberty down for the mention of karaoke alone. at first, liberty shrunk against the wall. leaning back to watch blythe.

as the grin started to light up her features, it became clear that she hadn’t said the wrong thing. shoulders back, chin up — liberty mirrored the way blythe had perked up before. “ well, i have to see this ! ” the idea of being invited . . . technically invited to watch blythe kill it during karaoke had been good enough for liberty, but the fact that she had been invited on stage with her ? it was better than libby could have imagined. “ who are we to argue with fate ? ” though her words tried to play it cool, the bright smile gave away her enthusiasm. “ i would love, love to sing with you. ”

[lcdyliberty]

⸻　　upstairs ,  mid - to - late night ⸻　　closed  for @knewitalls

　　୨ৎ　　liberty loved costume parties .  a theme served as a safety blanket of sorts. ( at least, it did if everyone actually stuck to it . ) the guidelines of how to dress were like a cheat sheet to fitting in, and people were way more likely to compliment a costume than the typical house party attire !

however, right now, in a sea of about three colours maximum — liberty kind of hated the theme. she was a woman on a mission. right now, that mission just consisted of not so subtly checking every tall and light haired man and marking them with a little not william sticker in her mind. ineffective method, considering people moved. she’d come this far with the strategy. changing it up now seemed silly. she approached, mentally peeled the sticker, not — “ william ! ” the underdog succeeds.

“ william, my smartest and most capable friend, ” which obviously meant she was gearing up to ask a favour. “ it’s time for the best time of any party. find the cat ! ” which seemed like it should be innocent and fun. “ i wanted to get some air because the dance floor was crazy packed so i stepped outside. this cat was so, so sweet and i’m a firm believer of ‘ if you’re cold, they’re cold. bring them inside. ’ except she had a fur coat that i didn’t . . . ” and the origins of that quote were probably talking about more than a chilly breeze. “ but i picked her up and brought her inside. like, maybe she was just shy because of all these people and couldn’t just walk in. ” liberty hadn’t thought twice about it until she overheard tilly denouncing the cat rumours to someone else.

“ tilly doesn’t have a cat. i’m a catnapper, william. we need to find her before the neighbours send a strongly worded - but very hard to read - ransom note from cut up fancy feast labels. ” though, usually it wasn’t the victim’s family sending the ransom notes. minor details. “ are you in ? ”

[sundrifts]

LOCATION  :  tilly's party. OPEN  STARTER  :  uncapped.

the  music  in HELL  pulses  through  the  walls  like  the  house  itself  has  a  damn heartbeat  -  bass  rolling  under  the  floors,  curling  up  through  the  soles  of  her  heels -  and  blythe  has  been  sitting  with  it  for  the  better  part  of  an  hour  now,  doing  very  little.  watching  people.  nursing  the  same  drink  she'd  poured  when  she  first  arrived,  condensation  slow  around  her  fingers,  the  ice  long  since  surrendered  to  the  warmth  of  the  room.

in  typical  blythe  fashion,  she  looks  like  she's  dressed  for  a  softcore  bdsm  event  she'd  been  personally  invited  to  by  the  devil.  all  black  -  corset  laced  tight,  fishnet  stockings,  black  feathery  wings  pinned  at  her  back  like  something  clipped  mid-flight,  and  a  halo  sits  nestled  in  the  dark  waves  of  her  hair.  a  fallen  angel.  she'd  thought  it  was  a  bit  on-the-nose  when  she  put  it  together.  and  then  she  thought  -  well,  yeah,  duhh  !  that's  the  point.

she  clears  her  throat,  turns  her  head  toward  the  person  beside  her,  and  extends  her  cup  outward.  an  offering  more  than  a  question.  " d'ya  want  this? "  cue  a  beat  while  the  cogs  in  her  brain  begin  to  turn.  " …  i  think  i'm  staying  sober  tonight. "

[lcdyliberty]

　　୨ৎ　　liberty hadn’t intended on lingering in blythe’s orbit ,  but there was something so much easier about sticking in their little group lately. subconsciously, it seemed she had dragged herself along with where the brunette had settled. when the drink was presented, the possibility of it being for her hadn’t even crossed the blonde’s mind. someone else obviously had the same idea. strength in numbers, and everything like that. liberty’s head moved in time with blythe’s cup, following to see if the person next to her accepted the offer. only to find that spot empty. then, snapped back to the other woman. “ oh, for — me ? ” perhaps not the most eloquent choice of response. the manicured nail flicking back to point at herself likely just making it worse. confidence. assertiveness. women like blythe could probably smell fear.

she cleared her throat, just as blythe had done before. okay, take two ! “ yeah, yes. ” perhaps too demanding. “ please. ” but it was less of a request and more of an acceptance. “ . . . thank you, ” she finally settled on. however, with the cup in her hand and blythe’s explanation given, they approached another awkward crossroads.

to reject the drink would be rejecting blythe’s offer. her olive branch, perhaps. a symbol of acceptance and camaraderie. realistically, just a cup she didn’t want to hold anymore. but did drinking when blythe had declared sobriety for the night seem like an action that placed them on opposing sides ? it was a dilemma that she was entirely overthinking. the solution ? a small sip from the cup. just enough to be deemed polite. “ smart, ” the praise mumbled into the cup moreso than at blythe, while she was trying to figure out what exactly had been handed to her. “ that’s smart. are you still going to karaoke and . . . all that ? i think it’s just karaoke. i don’t know why i said and. ”